Draft device for wagons



(No Model.) 7

R. I. SKILES.

DRAFT DE VICE FOR WAGONS.

No. 391,091. Patented Oct. 16, 1888.

Mg??? m N. PETERS. Phuwumo ra mr. Washington. D C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT IRONS SKILES, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO MARION )VYRIOK AND E. H. BOWMAN, JR, OF ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT DEVICE FOR WAGONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,091, dated October 16, 1888. Application filed March 22. 1987. R'newed August 6, 1888. Serial No. 282,081. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT IRONS SKILEs, a citizen oft-he United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Draft Devices forWVagons, Cars, and other Vehicles; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a bottom or under side view of a tongue, axle, 850., having devices embodying my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of a portion ofa tongue and said draft devices. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on the line or a: of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on theline y y of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detached view of the buffer-box. Fig. 6 is a detached view of the combined slide, hook, and piston or follower; Fig. 7, a detached view of the two eyebolts of the axle through which the draftchains pass. Fig. 8 is asectional view on the line .2 c, Fig. 1, showing the connection of the draft-chains with the axle below the center of the axle.

Like letters and figures refer to like parts wherever they occur.

My invention relates to the construction and combination ofdraft devices for wagons, cars, and other vehicles, and has for its objects to help the horses in starting heavy loads, relieve them from sudden strains and shocks, and to permit the collars to set to the shoulder before the dead-weight of the pull is brought on the team.

To this end it consists in the peculiar combination of the tongue, a sliding doubletree, a buffer therefor, and equalizing draft-chains which extend from the doubletree loosely through eyes attached to the axle, all as will be hereinafter more specifically pointed out and claimed.

I will now proceed to describe my invention more specifically, so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

In the drawings, A indicates the axle of a Vehicle, B the fore-axle hounds,O the tonguehounds, D the tongue, and E the tongue-bolt, all of which may be of the usual character, as shown, or any other approved construction.

1 indicates a buffer-box or spring cylinder, which is secured to the under side ofthe tongue D by bolts 2, or in any other suitable manner, the front end of the cylinder being closed by a lug, (or head,) 3. (See Figs. 2 and 5.) \Vithin the box 1 is a buffer-spring, 4, of any suitable character.

Arranged in line with butfer-box 1, and in rear thereof, is a slide-box, 5, which is secured to the tongue D by bolts 6 6. Said slide-box is provided with grooves 7 7. (see Fig. 4,) in which moves the slide 8. The slide 8 (see Fig. 6) has at its front end a piston or follower, 9, which fits in the cylinder or bore of the buffer-box1,and bears on the buffer-spring 4, and is provided at its rear end with one or more draft-hooks, 10, (preferably two, as shown,) which engage with the draft-chain.

Pendent from the slide 8, between the draft- 7o hooks 10, is the pivot-bolt or wagon-hammer 12 of the doubletree 13, said doubletree being pivoted on and movable with the slide 8.

14 indicates the draft-chain, which, if desired, may be made up of rod-and-lin'k sec- 7 tions, as shown in Fig. 1. Its two ends 15 are secured to the opposite ends of the doubletree 13, the chain extending thence backward through the eyes or rings 16 of axle-bolts 17, and the middle of the draft-chain, as at 18, is hooked over the draft-hooks 10 of the slide 8.

In order to obtain an upward or lifting pull on the axle A, the axle-bolts 17, having eyes or rings 16, are placed below the center of the axle, as clearlyshown in Fig. 8. As the move- 8 5 ment of slide 8 and doubletree 13 must take up the slack of draft-chain 14, so as to ultimately bring the draft or pull directly from the doubletree on the axle, it is evident that the length of draft-chain 14 must be proportioned to the 0 movement desired in slide 8 and piston or follower 9, and the parts can be relatively proportioned, so as to get any desired slack in the draftchain 14, (say one, two, three, or four inches) when the team is at rest, and as acon- 5 sequence the more or less gradual application of the power when the team is started.

The draft devices,being of substantially the character hereinbefore specified, will operate as follows: When the team is at rest-,the buffertoo spring 4 is expanded, the doubletree 13 and slide 8 are pushed back, and the draft'chain 14 is slack. The same condition exists in going downgrade. It, now, the team is started, the doubletree 13, slide 8, and piston 9 are drawn forward, the piston compresses the buffer-spring 4, and the power is first applied gradually to the tongue and thence toward the load, so as to fully control and steady the tongue and prevent its wabbling and annoying the team. During this interval the collars have time to tighten and set on the shoulders of the team before the dead-weight is taken up. As the doubletree l3 and slide 8 advance, the

slack of the draft-chain 1- is taken up from v the three points-namely, the two ends of the doubletree and the slide hooks 10, or middle of the draft-chain 18-and the. power is applied to the fore axle at two points, 16, below the horizontal central line of axle A.

Among the advantages of this construction are the full control of the tongue and reliefto the team from shocks, jars, and the sudden dead-weight of the load, all of which results from the first application of the power to the tongue and buffer, and next the advantageous application of the power'of the team there after, which results from the transfer of the force or final pull from the tongue directly to the axle, which OCClllS when the doubletree and slide 8 have moved sufficiently far to take up the slack in the draft-chain 14.

Having thus described the preferred construction, as well as the operation and advantages of my invention,what I claim,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

the doubletree through eyes or rings on the fore axle, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination, with the tongue, of a buffer-box, 1, slide-box 5, buffer-spring 4, and slide 8, having piston 9 and hooks 10, a doubletree pivoted on the slide 8, and draft-chain 14-, which extends loosely through the eyes or rings 16 of the axle and is attached to the doubletree at the three points, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

, In testimony whereofI affix niysignature, in presence oftwo witnesses,this9th day ofMarch, 1887.

ROBERT IRONS SKILES.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN XV. SKILEs, GEO. \V. FLEOK. 

